Page 81 of Hidden Sacrifice
“Where have you been?” I said with a smile as I felt wave after wave of excitement roll off Justice. Whatever news he brought, it was something I would enjoy.
“Come with me, Fox; I have a surprise for you.” He extended his hand, his smile growing impossibly wide.
Let the others get some rest. Give Jax some time to heal. Give me some time to get these images out of my head.
We headed straight for a realm portal, but the moment I moved to change my appearance, Justice stopped me. “No need, Pet.”
I stepped out of the portal onto familiar sandy beaches, the ones featured so often in my calm mental shield. I had no idea why Justice liked this place in the human realm. Still, I shared his affections as I could quickly shed my emotional shield in favor of simply living in the moment.
“I have a surprise for you, Fox,” Justice whispered, slinking up against my back as he so often does. Inked hands, heavy with chunky skull rings, slid across the thin material of my shirt just above the hemline. I leaned back into him, into the moment. One I was free to experience in its raw form. I hadn’t realized how much the slight mental shielding dug away at me.
I let a satisfied little sigh escape my lips, knowing Justice was feeling my emotions and there was no real need for words between us. All the pain and fear, and anger rose from inside me.
“I knew you had seen through the illusion. Wait until you see what I have in store for you.” His breath was hot on my neck’s sensitive skin, peppering kisses between his words. My body instantly felt the edge of my rage simmer into nothing more than a low boil as he used his powers on me. Justice always seemed to know exactly what I needed to relax. He bit my neck suddenly, then, all at once, he was gone. A flash of movement caught my eye as I turned to see Justice running away from the serene ocean edge, heading inland.
I took off after him with a shrug, bare feet sliding in the sand as it shifted under my weight. But fucking sand couldn’t slow me down; I was a damn demon vampire. My feet hit the ground harder, propelling me forward as I raced after Justice. I caught up to him quickly before slowing my pace to keep side by side with him as young trees passed us by in a blur.
“What is this place?” I asked as we slowed, a building coming into view. It looked like a small vacation rental.
“This is the other dungeon. Bit more of a traditional dungeon, compared to the other one.” Justice shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. I, on the other hand, did not hold back my excitement. Justice had two dungeons, and this one was in a mortal realm.
“Did you bring me to play in your dungeon, Justice?” My voice was low and seductive. Maybe a bit of time in Justice’s dungeon would help calm my mind. Jax would be alright now that he was back in Hell.
“I do hope you decide to play, Fox.” He moved forward, taking a single step onto the first of three up to the porch of the quaint house. My eyes searched for a non-existent chimney that filled the air with hellfire smoke. But this wasn’t Hell. Another ripple of excitement flooded through me, along with a slight wave of arousal. Something about vulnerability excited me. I could be killed in this realm. Not quickly, but I could die. Thoughts of my death didn’t seem to worry me. Only that of my mates’.
I also trusted Justice with every fiber of my being and knew that he would never let anything happen to me. Well, nothing bad that I didn’t like. He made his way slowly up the steps, and I followed behind him, letting the echoes of our footsteps ring in my ears, adding to the noise of my pounding heart. Justice’s hand rested on the knob as he gave me a devilish smile before opening the door and heading inside.
I followed without hesitation. He flicked on the lights, and I was surprised to see a modern-looking open floor plan cottage. The windows were sheathed in white flowing curtains that let the warm ocean breeze drift on the current. The entire place was decorated in white and cool grey. It looked like something out of a magazine, not a horror issue like I expected.
“Am I ever going to get an actual dungeon out of you?” I huffed as my excitement started to wane.
Justice smiled as his head tilted to the side momentarily. I watched his posture become more rigid, and I now understood that he was evaluating my emotions. Treating each waft and nudge like a clue to an overly complicated puzzle.
“You enjoyed the other dungeon, but you’re looking for something darker, aren’t you, Pet.” He stalked forward toward me. His arms wrapped around my waist, encircling my back as he pulled me closer to him. “Of course, I have what you need, Fox.”
Something like greed washed over me, an emotion I was getting from him. He wanted to be greedy with me.
“Present is this way, Fox,” Justice said, pulling himself from me as he headed toward a small door just off the kitchen area. One would assume it was a pantry, but I saw steps leading down when Justice opened the door.
This looked fucking promising. Narrow wooden stairs descended into darkness as a light flickered on and off with a classic humming. I turned to Justice with a raised eyebrow, “this isn’t another mental illusion, right?”
“Not yet, at least, Pet.”
Heading down the stairs, a hallway veered to each side. The stones that made up the walls were damp, and the smell of old blood and dirt filled my lungs. There was a bit of an almost peppery aroma to old blood. It tickled the nose but also seemed to wake you up.
“Pick your fate, Pet. Right to cut. Left to be cut,” Justice said, slinking up behind me as I stood at my junction.
“I can’t bear to see any more of you hurt,” I breathed out, letting a renewed wave of fear and desperation fill the air.
“Right to cut. You don’t have to cut me, Fox. I said I had a present. No more hints, though; you must choose your path.”
I sat and thought for a moment. I wouldn’t mind letting Justice slice into me for a while. I hadn’t gotten to use much power in the battle against Fachnan; I could go for a few slashes before my healing would drop to vampire levels.
Anger coursed through me as I recalled the terror that flooded me when Jax and Jace ceased to answer my mental calls. That will be the last time I ever let them place me that far away from the battle. Even pushing my legs as fast as possible, I arrived in time to see Jasper and Zeb pull Jax from the house.
A little pain and maybe even some sex might go a long way to restoring my mood to some semblance of normalcy. Then we could move on and attempt to track Fachnan down again. Then it would be time to make them pay for all the pain they have caused me.
I felt the fire inside me rushing back up to the surface forcing Justice’s calming presence to the side. Jax’s face flashed in my eyes before an image of Jace’s chest with a large gaping hole in its middle. A little bit more to the side, and he would have died today.
